A Different Ending
by Reader128
Summary: This is my take on how the movie should have ended. It is based solely on the idea that there is no way the formula wasn't written down somewhere in that lab. I hope you like it.


**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, situations, locations, etc. I also don't own the movie this is based off of. If I did, it would've ended slightly differently.**

**A.N.: I was watching this movie last night (you gotta love reruns), and I thought that it should've ended differently. So, I searched for a story where I liked the ending and couldn't find one… this story ruined my sleep schedule. I hope you like it.**

"Not bad for my first party, huh?" Kat asked after everyone fled the house.

"It ain't over yet," Her dad stated happily. "Boys!"

Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso flew into the room and started playing a song about Casper that they had made up on the spot. After, they got the stereo working again (someone had knocked it off the table when everyone fled), they all danced as a group until Kat and James were too tired to continue. Casper gently carried Kat to her bed while the Ghostly Trio carried James… they had become good friends with him over the course of the last couple of weeks and considered him to be a ghost-to-be. They had all the time in the world and were willing to wait somewhat patiently until he died so they could become a quartet. After they tossed him on his bed, they went to check on Casper. They may not act like it much, but they did care for the little ghost. Seeing him dancing with Kat was the happiest they had seen him since the day he got sick… they had forgotten that he wasn't like them… that he was more like his father, their brother.

Liam McFadden had been a quiet man. He loved deeply and cared more for his experiments than he did for the drink. The trio, however, had been known in Friendship as the local drunks who were always good for a laugh… a laugh that ended with them in jail several times before Casper was born. Their deaths happened at the same time, but not for reasons you would think. After Casper's death, they could see Liam becoming more and more obsessed with bringing him back. Oh, they didn't think he was crazy, (after all, they could see their nephew, too) but they knew that others would think otherwise. Liam had just finished the Lazarus when it happened. A group in town didn't take too well to someone claiming to be able to bring back the dead. The group spent several months making sure everyone in the town thought Liam to be insane… they were going to burn down Whipstaff with him in it. The three McFaddens couldn't let that happen. The Lazarus was the only way to save their nephew... the only child in the family. They stood at the gates and kept the mob out… until they couldn't anymore. Three shots were fired from the back of the group. Three shots hit their marks. The crowd, seeing what had been done, realized that they had almost killed a grieving man whose only crime was trying to save his son. The fastest of them ran back to town for the doctor, who arrived within fifteen minutes. The brothers died an hour later within twenty minutes of each other. They stayed behind to protect the manor. It had been in their family for generations, and they were not about to let their only living relative be threatened again. As ghosts, their first thought was to protect the manor. They didn't remember anything else but to protect the manor and the man living there alone. Over time, they forgot why they felt so deeply about Whipstaff, just remembering that it was theirs. They even forgot that they wanted to keep Casper safe for their brother. So, they reverted to the careless pranksters they had been before Casper was born.

Three years after their deaths, before they forgot everything from before, Liam had created the potion that would bring all four of them back. He created one vial as a test batch. Stretch, as the oldest brother, was to be brought back first to make sure it worked correctly. Liam was then going to make enough for his son and brothers. Somehow though, the people in town had found out about his experiments. A few days before Stretch was to be brought back, Liam was arrested. The police didn't come to the manor… they waited until Liam made his monthly trip for supplies and took him as he was going in the general store. Just like that, he was gone. They declared him insane and he died several years later in the insane asylum. They waited for him, but he never came. They waited until they forgot why, but he still never came. After the Harveys made them remember the past, they went to the asylum where he had been held and asked the ghosts there about him. Finally, they found an older woman who told them what happened… Liam had been in the cell next to hers when they had been alive. He had told her his story in exchange for hers. The day before he died, he told her that he trusted his brothers to keep his son safe at Whipstaff. He had completed the Lazarus and had made enough potion for it to work. He had even written down the formula and hidden it in his lab. He didn't tell her where it was hidden, just that it was safe. The next day, he was gone… completely. He had no unfinished business that would make him stay as a ghost. The brothers left the asylum feeling down… they had failed Liam. They had spent nearly ninety years picking on Casper, forcing him to take care of them and generally treating him horribly. They vowed that that would stop.

It was with heavy hearts that they went back to the manor only to find James trying to pack his things. The "Happy Hour" wasn't just for him. They talked about making their trio a quartet, but James reminded them so much of Liam that they couldn't do that to him. Fate, it seemed, wanted something different than they did. James fell down a manhole and perished. They helped him fly back to Whipstaff and find his daughter. Kat was distraught, and so was James once he remembered. They were so proud of Casper… he gave up the one vial of potion so that Kat would be happy. He didn't know that his father had written down the formula, and the brothers had no intention of telling him until they found the notes. They followed Kat and James out of the lab, knowing that they would be back later that night to search. Casper floated out of the room just before they left, going towards what they now remembered was his nursery and bedroom (before he was moved into the larger room that Kat now stayed in). They knew that he wasn't happy, but they needed to make sure Kat's party went correctly before they could go and cheer him up. They could tell that an intruder was in James's office before they even got all the way through the floor. When they saw Amber and Vic, the local school's biggest bully and her boyfriend, they decided to make sure she wouldn't scare anyone… it was their house and only they were allowed to scare people in it! Watching Vic drag Amber down the driveway just made their trick that much better.

They were just about to make their presence known when they realized that they had forgotten a promise… they had told James that they would find his Amelia. Knowing that the party was supposed to be over in four hours (at midnight), they had to work fast if they wanted to give the good doc his gift before Halloween was over. It only took about an hour to find her. She wasn't a ghost at all… she was an angel. They explained everything that had happened since they met the Harveys and told her about Casper's gift to her husband. She thanked them and told them to show her how to get to the house. They left her to go on her own once they appeared above the house… they had to get their part of the party ready. Thirty minutes later, they had written a new song and had it ready to play. They phased into the ballroom, only to stop before they got all the way through the wall… Casper was… he was… he was alive! The song became a slow one as he walked down the stairs, dressed as his Liam had been the day of his wedding. The crowd of high school students parted almost unconsciously before him. The girls that saw him followed him with their eyes, unable to place the teenager and wondering how they had missed him at school. He finally made his way to Kat, who had been sitting in a corner, alone and sad. Taking her hand, he didn't say a word as he led her to the middle of the floor. The trio watched as the two of them danced, looking just like Liam and his wife Katrina had the day of their wedding. The brothers couldn't hear what was said, but they did notice when they started floating above the dance floor… apparently, Casper wasn't as alive as they had first thought. All of the students watched as the couple twirled slowly, descending back to the floor as they went around. The clock started striking ten. Casper leaned in for his first real kiss. As the kiss continued, Casper became less solid. On the tenth strike, he was back to being a ghost. When he said, "Boo," they almost lost it… their little sweet nephew had cause more chaos in one word than they had all day. Then, James called them down.

Hours later, they floated at the door to Kat's room. She was asleep, still wearing Katrina's dress, curled up on the bed with Casper asleep next to her. They both looked content. The trio knew that they had to find Liam's notes. They wanted to bring him back, wanted to be alive once more as well. They just had one problem, how would they stay in Whipstaff when it was owned by that evil woman? She may be dead, but she had still been the owner. After Liam had been arrested and declared insane, Joshua Crittenden had bought the manor from the town and had been driven out of the house by the trio within three days of moving in. He had given the manor to his daughter because he had hated her.

The trio floated to the lab, ready to search, but when they went in, they saw Amelia waiting for them next to Liam's desk. She was smiling.

"Thank you. You three did more to help my husband than anyone else. He is happy now, and I know that I have you to thank for that. So, I have a few gifts for you. This box contains all of your brother's notes, including the formula for the potion you need. Just remember, you are only allowed to use this on yourselves and Casper. Ghosts are meant to complete their business and then move on, not have a second chance. This reward is just for you three, your nephew, Kat, and James. Carrigan Crittenden's will is also in this box. I need you to take it to her hotel room immediately. It needs to be among her things before her body is found. It says that everything she owns will go to James and Kat, including the manor. Carrigan has enough money to take care of you and them for many years to come. The last thing I have for you is this: paperwork showing that you are alive. Once you and Casper come back to life, you will need to read over the papers and make sure you know your own story… I tried to keep it as close as possible to your real story. I just updated it a bit. Take care of my family for me, guys. I know you will do your best. Good-bye."

With that, she was gone. They went through the box and found the will. Before they could do anything else, they needed to take it into town… if they didn't make it, then there's no telling what would happen to the manor. An hour later, they were back in the lab. Looking over Liam's notes, they were amazed all over again at how smart he was. Some of the words were so scientific that they could barely pronounce them. Luckily, his notes were simple and easy to follow. He also had all of the ingredients listed like a recipe. It would take a day or so to gather them, but they could have the potion made within a week. It had to sit for a month before it was used though, so they would tell Casper, Kat, and James on Thanksgiving and hopefully have Casper in school after Christmas… it would be the first time he had ever been in school because Liam had homeschooled the boy.

Over the next week, the trio _acquired_ the ingredients and made the potion. Since Kat and Casper were working on cleaning the lab, they kept the vials in their room, hidden from prying eyes. While it was sitting, they studied the papers Amelia had given them, making sure the details were memorized. They also cleaned out the room next to Kat's. It had been Casper's study once upon a time, but they moved a bed out of one of the guest rooms into it and changed it into a bedroom for him. Then, they started a cleaning spree that kept Casper too busy to notice the change. The spree took the whole four weeks the potion had to sit. During that time, James and Kat were also kept busy: James with going over the inheritance from Carrigan and Kat with school.

Then, on Thanksgiving, they led their nephew, his girl, and her father down to the lab. Stretch went into the Lazarus first, just as the original plan said. Fatso and Stinkie pushed Casper into the machine once they saw their brother was safe. Then, the other two were brought back to life while Casper and Kat hugged.

The trio walked over to James, and Stretch held out his hand, "Hello, my name is Mark McFadden, but my friends call me Stretch. These are my brothers: Connor "Fatso" McFadden and Doyle "Stinkie" McFadden. Our nephew, Casper McFadden, is hugging your daughter. Our great-grandfather owned this place a long time ago. It's nice to finally meet you."

James grinned at them and gave each of them a hug. Casper finally realized that this was not a dream and jumped on his uncles. He had been twelve when he died, but just like a month ago, he was fifteen when he came back to life. The brothers handed him his life story, and led everyone back upstairs where a feast was waiting to be eaten. They ate until they were stuffed and then walked to the den where the trio had to explain how they were able to recreate Liam's formula. They talked long into the night about what needed to be done (clothes for all four, school for Casper, various things for everyone). None of the adults missed that the two fifteen year olds hadn't let go of each others' hands. The four shared a look. Their children were happy, and they were going to make sure the two stayed that way.

The next few weeks were spent getting used to being alive. When James was brought back, he had only been dead about thirty minutes or so. He didn't have time to even learn how to be a ghost. The trio and Casper, however, had been dead for almost ninety years. They went suddenly from being able to float, go through walls, and change their appearance on a whim to not being able to do any of that. They also had to get used to eating and sleeping again on a regular schedule. It was a rough transition. Luckily, getting Casper into school was easy. They had paperwork saying he had been homeschooled for years, so they decided to wait until January for him to start at Kat's school. She spent the month of December helping him catch up with the few things he hadn't figured out on his own… his ability to use the internet had helped him keep up despite being a ghost at the time, and he had been following Kat to class every day since she moved in.

Soon, everything was settled. Carrigan's will was uncontested, the manor was back to its former glory, Casper and Kat were dating (much to the trio's amusement and James's slight horror… he still didn't like the idea that his daughter was a teenager). Casper caused all sorts of chaos on his first day at school. Wearing a white button-up shirt and looking much like he did at the Halloween dance, he attracted looks from everyone. People were walking into each other as some stopped walking in the hallways, and some dropped their books only for others to trip over them. Amber Whitmire saw him and decided she had to have him, which led to a very vocal show at lunch. Amber wouldn't take no for an answer, Casper told her that he was only interested in Kat, and Kat didn't take too kindly when Amber tried to grab his arm and lead him to her table. All three ended up in the principal's office. James, Stretch, and Amber's father William were all called. William thought his daughter could do no wrong and accused Kat of trying to steal her boyfriend. Casper (and Stretch… and Kat… and James) tried to explain that he had never met Amber before lunch today, but he refused to listen until the principal showed the group the video (with sound) of the argument. He took his daughter home after that… only to find Vic DePhillippi on the front porch at 3:30 asking to see Amber. William allowed this, and, hoping to talk to the blonde before he left, stayed on the porch with the two teens. Vic dumped Amber for trying to cheat on him. He tried to leave, but William just sent Amber to her room and asked Vic to stay for a few minutes. William had never really talked with his daughter's now ex-boyfriend, but he needed to know the truth. So, he asked the teen about Amber's attitude at school and finally got the truth. He was not amused. He knew his daughter was spoiled, but he had never thought that she was the school bully. He decided to stop this before it got any worse… so he removed everything from her room except her bed, clock, and clothes and told her she had to earn it back. She was officially grounded for the first time ever. William hoped it would do some good.

Back at Whipstaff, the other two adults heard the story and congratulated the teens. Since the trio knew what Amber was like, they agreed with anything that would take her down a few pegs without getting their nephew or (future) niece in trouble. They were also very proud of the general chaos Casper's presence had caused that day. James tried to be the voice of reason, but seeing his daughter stand up to a bully made him proud, especially since he had already been told what Amber had planned for last Halloween. Plus, it's not like the teens had had a physical fight… it was just a very loud argument that he hoped was never repeated.

The rest of the school year was quiet. Amber was too busy trying to earn her stuff back to bother with anyone else. Vic apologized to the couple and became a good friend to them, though there was some friction between him and Casper over Kat. He eventually found a girl named Connie who became Kat's best girl friend. After deposing Amber, the four became fairly popular, though they didn't rule the school like the other girl did.

Dr. James Harvey gave up on the ghostly side of his practice and became the town's psychiatrist. He eventually took over the practice from the former doctor who wanted to retire. The trio became bored very quickly now that they couldn't do any of the former things they used to do. So, they went through Liam's paperwork and discovered several machines that they could easily build and market. They also got real jobs: they started a restaurant together, using their real names while they were working instead of their nicknames. Stretch became the manager and oversaw everything. Stinkie was the host and was in charge of the wait staff. Fatso was in charge of the kitchen and was head chef. They weren't the most popular eatery in the town, but they made a healthy profit.

By the end of their senior year, the legend of Whipstaff was mostly forgotten. The now clean manor and manicured lawn helped destroy the idea that it was haunted. The formerly spooky manor now was one of the most beautiful homes in Friendship, Maine. The money inherited from Carrigan combined with Dr. Harvey's salary, the money that the trio brought in from their restaurant, and the profit they gained from Liam's machines made sure the two families were able to live in comfort and also send the two teens to whatever college they wanted.

One month after they graduated from the closest college they could find, Kat and Casper were married on the front lawn of Whipstaff. Casper had gotten a degree in engineering with a minor in history, and Kat had studied English folklore and teaching. Casper was going to continue in his father's work and design machines to help makes people's lives better, but he was going to teach history at the local middle school so that he wasn't alone while he was working (Kat and his four uncles not included). Kat took a similar path and became an English teacher at the high school. She taught a large section on local folklore that her students loved (especially when she told them about the history behind the four "Ghosts of Whipstaff" that most of them had at least heard about). The whole town was invited to the wedding which was held on the front lawn of the manor with the reception in the ballroom.

Casper and Kathleen McFadden quickly became the favorite teachers in their respective schools and kept that position for many years. They spent their Friday nights helping out their uncles at McFadden's and took over when the trio retired when the pair were in their early fifties. The couple retired from teaching to take over the restaurant full time. Their former students stopped by often, making it quite a bit more popular than it had been under the trio's care. They ran the restaurant until they were in their late sixties. Kat and Casper had three children: Liam James (for their fathers), Amelia Joan (for Kat's mother), and Katrina Elizabeth (for Casper's mother). Liam became a doctor, married his high school sweetheart and had two children. Amelia married a man she met in college, became a veterinary technologist, and had one child. Katrina followed in her parents' footsteps and became a teacher, though she taught mathematics instead of history or English. She married at the age of thirty and had one child. Their four grandchildren grew up in Whipstaff. Liam's family lived in the North wing, Amelia's in the East, and Katrina's in the South. The original trio, Casper, Kat, and James were in the West. All four grandchildren loved helping out in the restaurant and eventually took it over as their own when their grandparents retired.

As for Vic and Connie, they stayed in Friendship and got married right after they graduated high school. They had two children: one boy and one girl who became best friends with Kat and Casper's trio. The two families stayed friends for several generations. One of the McFadden grandchildren married one of the DePhillippi grandchildren, joining the families.

Amber Whitmire did eventually grow out of being a snob. She also gained her stuff back by the time her junior year was over. Her father had her helping the gardener to earn money for more stuff when she found out how much she loved working with flowers. With her father's permission, she started working at the local florist and eventually became the manager. When the owner's heath started failing, William Whitmire bought the place and sold it to his daughter at a reduced price… he had learned not to give her expensive gifts when she didn't work for them (not that that stopped him completely… she still got birthday and Christmas gifts, just not as many). She found love with one of her customers and married him on her twenty-eighth birthday. They had two children who eventually inherited their mother's florist shop and their father's business. One took over the shop and the other got the business. The children were much nicer than their mother had been in high school.

The no-longer-ghostly trio went back to tinkering with their brother's machines after they retired. One of the machines was powered by an explosive powder… they were testing it in a local quarry (which was no longer in use) when the machine exploded, killing all three of them. As ghosts, they stopped by the manor to say good-bye before they all stated that they had no more unfinished business. They disappeared in a flash of bright light, and James swore he saw Amelia come and take them away. They had been in their eighties.

Dr. James Harvey was well-liked in the town and had many clients. He retired at the age of seventy from practice though he often came back to the office to help out when he was needed. He sold the practice to a young doctor who just happened to be married to one of his great-grandchildren. He saw it flourish under the young man's guidance. At the age of ninety, he passed away peacefully in his sleep. He kissed his daughter on the forehead, took his wife's hand, and went to his final reward.

After they retired, Kat and Casper rewrote all of his father's notes on his machines (minus the Lazarus) and published them as an engineering book for young inventors. It wasn't very popular but it did have a small following in the state. At the age of eighty-four, they died within minutes of each other. They appeared briefly to their family to say good-bye before taking each other's hands and declaring their lack of unfinished business. Their family was safe, happy, and healthy… what more could they wish for?


End file.
